Little Rock start and end hot in exhibition game

Little Rock (LR) men’s basketball opened their 2017-18 season Friday night with a home exhibition game versus Southwestern Baptist University (SBU). The Trojans, led by sophomore guard Andre Jones, never allowed SBU to take a lead in the 84-68 win.

Coming into the game, the talk centered on LR’s new arrivals. The Trojan veterans, however, stole the show, with Andre Jones leading the team at 25 points, while juniors Ben Marcus and Oliver Black were tied for second with 18 points.

For the freshmen, Cameron Corcoran led the team with four assists despite a difficult night shooting. Kris Bankston notched seven rebounds, second only to Oliver Black’s 11.

Little Rock coach Wes Flanigan spoke about the freshmen, including Cameron Corcoran after the game.

“(I thought) Cameron Corcoran gave us a lift late.” Flanigan said. “He was under control, (and) made some big plays for us down the stretch.”

The Trojans shot 19-21 from the free-throw line, with Ben Marcus leading the team at a perfect 8-8.

The moment most remembered, however, came in the fourth quarter. Andre Jones finished off a pass from Cameron Corcoran with a dunk that brought the entire arena to its feet. Jones reflected on the dunk later.

“The ‘oop’?” Jones laughed. “I was just (thinking), ‘let me get as high as I can and dunk it as hard as I can’.”

The dunk gave the Trojans the needed boost to finish out the game strong, winning 84-68.

Little Rock’s next game comes Sat., Nov. 11, at 3:00 p.m., when they take on Ouachita Baptist in the annual Homecoming Game.